Clouds
by The-Fanfiction-Princess
Summary: A fluffy Oneshot set post-movie. It snows for the first time since Pazu and Sheeta began life on the farm, and Sheeta couldn't possibly be more enchanted by the snow. But she also gets surprised by how cold it is out there. Pazu can help with that! Fluff so sweet your teeth will literally rot. Rated T to save the children!


The fire warmed her toes as she dozed off late in the evening. Sheeta's head lay in Pazu's lap, curled up together in the tiny cottage. The days were growing colder, and Sheeta dreamed of the fire's warmth all day long.

With Pazu's hand running through her bob-length hair, she was out within moments, eyes fluttering shut.

It had been a long day. They had been working on the glider in the garage almost the whole day. Pazu and his engineering brain worked away on improvements for the flying machine, and of course, Sheeta loved to assist. But after a day's worth of wrenches and grease, she was exhausted.

Between Pazu and the fire, she couldn't have been more peaceful. Her breathing was slow and even. Sleep enveloped her like a fluffy cloud of serenity. Her sleep was so pure, she didn't even dream.

When she awoke it was to Pazu's voice, soft in her ear.

"Sheeta! Sheeta, wake up!"

She assumed she had slept a whole night's rest. But when she opened her eyes, outside the windows was still dark.

"Pazu?" She asked drowsily.

She looked up to see his eyes alight. "Sheeta! It's snowing!"

"Snowing?!"

He helped her up and they both rose. Sheeta rubbed sleep from her eyes as they went to the windows.

"It's amazing! You're never gonna believe it! Look!"

Pazu was right. She didn't believe it.

Outside her cottage, the normally lush green pastures were blanketed in what looked like a dense cloud. Through the sky fell millions of tiny snowflakes, descending ever so slowly to the ground. The moon above illuminated the snow, causing everything to glitter.

"Oh my!" Sheeta breathed. "What is it?"

"The snow? You haven't seen snow before?" Pazu sounded surprised.

Sheeta furrowed her brow. "I… I don't think so. If I have, I… I can't remember."

"Oh, well in that case, this is even more magical! Look!" He pointed to the little sparkling flakes that landed on the glass panes every so often. "See all the tiny crystals and different shapes in them?" Sheeta nodded, taking in their glorious beauty. "It's what happens when it rains, and it's really cold outside. They're frozen rain drops!"

"Wow…" Sheeta said. She examined the snow on the windowsill carefully.

"That's why it doesn't stay completely stuck to the window. Sometimes it melts or drifts off, because it's water. That's also why it sticks to the ground in some places but not in others."

Sheeta was in awe of the snow and all its beauty. She had never seen anything that looked more pure and stark against her pastures. Even the sparse trees and shrubs were covered by the whiteness. It reminded her so much of living in the clouds, completely surrounded by the fluffy—

"Well, come on then! We gotta go outside!"

Sheeta broke away from the window to see Pazu tugging on his boots. She blinked a few times. "We can go out there?"

Pazu laughed, and the pure glee in his laugh made Sheeta want to laugh too. But she was still confused, waiting until he composed himself enough to reply. "Do you think it's going to hurt you or something?"

Sheeta paused. "Oh… well, won't it be very cold?"

"Yep. That's what these are for." Pazu grinned as he tossed a pair of gloves to her, and handed her an overcoat.

"Thank you," Sheeta said graciously. She quickly put on the garments along with her boots. She stood by the door for a moment, waiting for Pazu as he rummaged through his things.

"Almost forgot these!" Pazu returned with two scarves in his hands.

He flung one over his shoulders, and as he carefully wrapped the other around Sheeta's neck, they somehow got entangled with each other. When he tugged on it the scarves pulled them so close together their noses touched.

"Oh no, haha!" Pazu laughed nervously.

Sheeta giggled. "We're stuck."

"Don't worry, I've got it." Pazu went to untangling the scarves with a determined look on his face. Sheeta looked up into his eyes, which seemed to shine brighter when he was focused on something, with his furrowed brow and tight lips.

As he finished and stepped back he noticed her gaze.

"What?"

"Nothing," Sheeta blushed.

Then Pazu blushed as well, and he didn't even know why Sheeta was blushing. The whole situation made them both giggle.

"Alright," Pazu said, hooking his arm in Sheeta's with a grin. "Ready?"

"I'm not sure."

"I'll take that as a yes!" Pazu smiled, opening the front door and guiding them both to stand on the porch.

"Ta dah!"

He was right.

It really was magical.

If it had snowed before on her farm, she must've been very young. Their winters were generally mild. The snow in front of her was so foreign, Sheeta was completely perplexed.

A snowflake landed on her cheek. "Oh!" She exclaimed. The sudden little drop of cold was startling. She brought a hand to her face but only felt a small damp spot.

"Don't be scared of them," Pazu turned to her. "I promise, they're just water!"

Sheeta nodded, and smiled. She held her hand out as more fell onto her glove, disintegrating into water almost instantly.

"Watch," Pazu bounded down from the porch, "This is what you do!"

He threw his head back, up at the dark sky, and opened his mouth. He stuck his tongue out to the cold air.

"Pazu!" Sheeta squealed. "You are crazy!"

"Come here!" He beckoned. Sheeta cautiously walked out into the snow. She liked how the snow crunched as her boots sank into it.

"What on earth are you doing?!"

"Do it with me! You catch the snowflakes! See?" He stuck his tongue out to the sky again. He pointed to his tongue, and for a millisecond Sheeta could see a few snowflakes on it.

"Ew! That is so silly!" Sheeta shook her head.

"Come on," He nudged her. "It's fun. Just try it."

"Oh, alright." Reluctantly, she did exactly as Pazu was doing. She felt incredibly silly but it was fun. The cool snowflakes on her tongue felt weird, but oddly entertaining. She began to run around the field with Pazu as they both tried to catch more snowflakes.

"Hey," Pazu called from afar. "You know what else you can do?" He picked up a pile of snow from the ground and molded it into a ball with his hands. He threw it just so it would land at Sheeta's feet.

She looked very confused. He came over to her with more snow in his hands. "It's a snowball."

"You just throw it back into the snow?"

"Well, no. Normally, back home, all the kids in town would gather in a field like this and throw them at each other. I just didn't want to hit you, I wasn't sure if you would get scared or something…" Pazu felt silly as he explained himself.

"Pazu, how kind of you." She smiled. "But honestly, do I seem scared of being hit by a little frozen water?" She picked up a wad of snow and hit him square in the shoulder.

Pazu looked shocked. Sheeta ran away giggling, picking up snow as she went. After his surprise wore off, a mischievous grin set in and he picked up snow as well. "Alright, so that's how it's gonna be?"

The pair played in the snow like school children. They ran around, tossing snowballs at each other until they couldn't feel their toes. But it didn't really bother either of them. Sheeta's laughter was like sweet honey in Pazu's ears, and every time he saw her, smiling and giggling, he thanked the sky from the deepest depths of his heart for snowing.

Since Sheeta quickly overcame her unease regarding the snow; their game was as intense as the many times Pazu had played in the snow with the village children. Once Sheeta even hit Pazu in the back of his neck, and snow slid down his back, making him screech like a baby.

"Hahah!" Sheeta laughed.

"Not funny!" Pazu countered. He threw a small, carefully-aimed snowball at her that hit her collarbone, and it managed to slide down into the front of her coat. She screamed at the freezing ice, and it was Pazu's turn to laugh.

"Oh, you think you're clever!"

"I am the cleverest person you will ever meet!" Pazu replied, forming another snowball with his hands.

Sheeta giggled and began to run around the field again, finding sheer bliss in the strange snow with Pazu.

Their game continued until Sheeta let out a surprised gasp, staring at something Pazu couldn't see. But she looked concerned. She stood under a tree that was a good distance from where Pazu was standing, for Pazu couldn't see what had alarmed her. Sheeta beckoned for him. "Come look at this!"

When he approached her, he looked confused. "What am I look—Ah!"

As soon as he was standing near enough to her, Sheeta got her revenge by jumping up and grabbing a tree branch, causing a humongous pile of snow to fall on top of them. Unfortunately, it backfired. There was so much snow it brought her down with it. Then it was simply Sheeta and Pazu laughing hysterically, half-buried in a pile of snow.

"Well, you win," Pazu said, smiling from ear to ear.

"I don't know," Sheeta giggled, "I'm pretty sure we both lost."

"Haha! Yeah, I think you're right." Pazu sighed. He smiled, taking a moment to look out at how beautiful the landscape was covered in snow. It was a perfectly even blanket across the field. It was gorgeous. It reminded Pazu of how much he missed the snow, and how much he had always enjoyed frolicking in it as a young boy.

He was suddenly aware of a soft clicking in his ear. He turned, surprised to discover it was Sheeta; her teeth were chattering and her lips were quivering.

"Oh, Sheeta!" Pazu exclaimed, rising out of the snow. He reached for her hand and pulled her out. The snow fell off of them as they rose. "Sheeta you should have said something! I had no idea—"

"No, no! It is actually quite fun… P-playing out here… I-in the sn-now."

"Come here!" Pazu pulled her shivering form into a hug, giving her as much warmth as he had. "It is pretty great, but you can't last for long. Kids always have to get shuffled back inside by their mothers, with hot soup and a warm fire waiting in the kitchen. That's how it usually goes."

"Hm…" Sheeta said into his chest. "A warm fire d-does sound nice right n-now…"

"Well, let's head inside then." Pazu turned them towards the cottage, keeping one arm around Sheeta. But instead of starting to walk, she turned around and faced the forest and mountains that stretched far past her fields.

The snow gleamed softly as the moon glimmered above it. It adorned everything Sheeta could lay her eye on. The infiniteness of it sparked memories of the clouds. When you looked out past the landscaping on Laputa, all you could see was the fluffy white clouds. It was essentially the same view, and Sheeta was surprised she didn't start crying. But it was too beautiful to cry. She just wanted to admire it.

"It is truly beautiful." She murmured. Pazu came to stand near her, looking at her compassionately. Sheeta knew he wanted her to say what was on her mind.

"It reminds me of the clouds… From L-laputa…"

Pazu was silent for a moment. "I've never thought of it like that. But you're right… They could be just a big blanket of fluffy clouds."

Sheeta gazed at the landscape before her until her eyes burned with the cold air. Finally she whispered "I wish we could stay out here in the snow longer."

Pazu then took her waist and turned her towards him. "Hmm…" The look on his face was puzzled. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Let me check."

He leaned forward and kissed Sheeta on the nose. Instantly she blushed, color rushing to her cheeks at the unexpected act.

"Nope!" Pazu exclaimed. "That nose is _definitely_ too cold to stay out here! Time to go inside. You can still watch the snowflakes from the window."

With Sheeta shivering, confused, and giggling, he whisked her back inside the house. After they took off their layers of winter garments, he put more wood on the fire, before settling back on the couch with Sheeta. He grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped the two of them in it. Sheeta laid her head on his lap like a small child. He grinned, softly running his hand through her hair in the same loving way he always did.

Her teeth had stopped chattering and she was no longer shivering. After several long moments, just listening to the fire, Pazu looked down. He saw Sheeta gazing out the window at the falling snow. Her eyes were alight with wonder, and Pazu smiled. He loved when she seemed so foreign to things. It reminded him she truly is his angel that fell from the sky.

After a while she felt his gaze and looked up. She turned so she was lying on her back, staring straight up at him. Pazu was wondering what was wrong when Sheeta said "Do you think my nose is still cold?"

"Uh…" Pazu seemed a bit confused at first, but he quickly caught on when Sheeta smiled at him. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Should I check?" He grinned, slightly embarrassed.

"I think that would be in order…" Sheeta murmured.

Pazu leaned down and placed a soft, sensual kiss on the tip of Sheeta's nose. It warmed her from head to toe and made her heart flutter. When Pazu leaned up again, Sheeta batted her long eyelashes at him.

"Hm…" He looked down as if he was assessing her like a doctor would. "Your nose isn't very cold anymore, but…" He took her hand and pulled her up slowly, so she was sitting opposite him. She gazed at him questioningly in the low light of the fire. "I need to check something else."

He placed a gentle hand on the back of her neck and tipped her head up. Leaning closer, he placed slow kisses on her jawline, down her neck and collarbone. Sheeta closed her eyes and giggled.

When he finally pulled back he said "What, you think I'm funny? I gotta make sure you won't catch a cold."

"Oh, Pazu," Sheeta sighed, "You just keep putting this off." She smiled.

He twisted a finger in her short hair. "Putting off what?" He said, looking at her skin and aching to kiss it again.

She looked at him pointedly. "Oh, you know what."

Pazu looked into her eyes for a second more, and then it just happened.

He cupped her face and brought it to his, and she wound her hands up in his hair. Their lips met so fast, Pazu didn't even think twice about doing it. They had both wanted it for so long, but had been too shy. But as soon as their mouths met, all shyness was gone.

Pazu pulled Sheeta onto his lap and settled her legs on either side of him. At this angle, their kiss deepened. Pazu felt a funny feeling in the pit of his gut, and all it told him to do was kiss Sheeta more fiercely. Pazu's tongue found its way into Sheeta's mouth, and she wasted no time in returning the favor. Their lips fit together like puzzle pieces and Pazu knew it was meant to be. Pazu had never kissed Sheeta before, but for some reason it felt like they had been doing it forever. It felt so familiar.

Sheeta pulled back for just a moment to breathe. Pazu leaned his forehead against hers, and as the pair breathed heavily, words suddenly just exploded out of him.

"I love you." He gasped.

Shock and happiness spread across Sheeta's face. "You do?!" She screamed.

"Well, of course I do!" He laughed. "I have since I met you."

Sheeta giggled with happiness. "I love you too!" She squealed, smashing her lips into his again.

Pazu laughed into the kiss, always charmed by Sheeta's surprised reaction to everything.

"Of course, of course" Pazu murmured in between kisses. "Of course I love you." He smiled. "I love you with short hair, or with long hair. I love you as a fallen angel or as a princess. I'd love you even if you were the most ordinary girl in the world."

"Do you mean that?" Sheeta said, her hands holding either side of his face.

"With my whole heart."

She pulled his face to hers and placed a very slow and meaningful kiss on his lips. When she pulled away she said, full of emotion, "You are the best thing that ever happened to me."

Pazu pulled her back to him and their lips were locked and the kiss quickly became heated again. Sheeta wound her arms around his shoulders.

Pazu tried to slowly sneak his hands up her shirt, but she started laughing so much it broke the kiss. So he stopped.

"I'm sorry," She giggled, kissing him again. "It just tickles."

"Not a problem," He said, grinning. He simply wrapped his hands around her thighs, and the next thing Sheeta knew, they were standing. The blankets fell away, and Pazu was carrying her somewhere while their lips were still locked.

"Where are we going?" Sheeta laughed against his lips.

"I have to make sure your nose isn't cold in the bedroom."


End file.
